Bedtime Story (1964)

A cultured con artist (David Niven) resides on the French Riviera where he poses as a deposed Prince. He seduces wealthy women into donating money and jewelry to finance a revolution in his poor country. He meets his match with an Army Corporal (Marlon Brando) who feigns an ill grandmother as a way of getting into the beds and wallets of young women. They decide to team up but when they meet a naive American girl (Shirley Jones) they wager against each other as to who will bed her first. Directed by Ralph Levy (DO NOT DISTURB), the film has been remade twice under different titles. In 1988 as DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS and 2019 as THE HUSTLE (which switched the gender of the two con artists). The 1988 film was that rarity, a remake superior to the original. It's funnier, wittier and with a wonderful twist that's not in the 1964 film. That being said, this version is entertaining enough. It's fun to see Brando exercise his comedic chops while Niven is at home with material like this. Unfortunately, while there are exterior shots filmed in Cannes, most of the exterior shots with the actors are against a rear projection screen which mars the movie visually. Pleasant but the 1988 version is the one to go with (forget the 2019 film). With Marie Windsor, Dody Goodman and Francine York.